Status: Complete
Hello Stranger
Part Two
Hannah stood in line at the concession stand picking at the edge of her ticket. Tonight the theater was showing a series of old black and white classics and she had spent her entire week looking forward to them. When she got to the front of the line she ordered herself a large popcorn, drink, and a bag of M&Ms. The male clerk looked at her before preparing her order. It was a bit unusual for one person to need that much popcorn especially a woman. Under normal circumstances she wouldn't have ordered so much. If she was on a date she would have ordered a drink and maybe some candy. No popcorn because she didn't want to risk kissing with butter breath or even the random kernels that managed to get stuck in her gums. Tonight though it was just going to be her, her old movies, and nasty butter breath. Just the way she liked it.
She grabbed her container and headed towards theater Number 7. As she walked down the hallway a door flew open and caused her to drop her popcorn and candy. She knelt down to pick it up, but a large hand beat her to it. Looking up to who had careless flung open the door she saw the eyes of the man who had been at the shop last week. Her cheeks heated up and she turned her attention back to the popcorn on the ground. She pushed it back into the bucket and dumped it into the trash can turning towards the man.
“Sorry Hannah,” he said as he handed her the candy, “I shouldn't have come out like that.”
“It's no problem -” she hesitated. She didn't know his name and she really didn't expect for him to remember hers. She never thought of herself as the memorable type. She felt average with her light brunette hair pulled into a messy bun and her sweats on. She was of just below average height being an even five feet tall.
“Matthew Sanders. Call me Matt,” he said extending his large hand.
“Wolfe. Hannah Wolfe,” she said as she shook his hand. It was warm and the heat from his hand radiated up her arm. Hannah pulled her hand back nervously and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. She hadn't felt a reaction like that in a long time. That warm familiar spark that ran through her veins and into her chest.
Matt smiled as he looked down at the young woman. Something about her seemed familiar and it wasn't just her name. His hazel eyes roamed her body as though he was committing her to memory. In fact he was – he was trying to remember where he remembered her from. Normally he never forgot a beautiful woman especially one as lovely as Hannah. He wasn't sure what he liked about her more between her curves and her eyes. They both did things to him that he definitely didn't need everyone in the movie theater seeing.
“What is it?” she asked breaking him from his trance.
“Just trying to figure out how I could forget such a beautiful face,” he smiled making her heart flutter.
Maybe she wasn't so average after all? Then again Hannah had heard corny pick up lines like that one before. Hannah rolled her eyes despite her surge. He was just like all the others to her, “A pretty face and a dashing smile can't cover lame pick-up lines.”
“It wasn't a pick up line. It was a bit lame, but I didn't mean it in that way. I meant like I've seen you somewhere before. Before the record shop,” he said as he looked at her, “Did you go to Huntington High by any chance?”
“Yeah, graduated four years ago.”
It all clicked for Matt. He had seen her at his sister's graduation, but not quite this way. Then she was a bit cut off from the people there. He remembered looking at her when she walked out of the building her eyes seemed so hollow and lifeless. She was a completely different person now. The pair talked for a moment as Matt offered to buy her more popcorn. The conversation was easy and there was no awkwardness as he walked her to her theater door.
“I was wondering if maybe sometime I could take you out to dinner sometime? You know properly apologize for knocking over the popcorn.”
Hannah saw the flash in Matt's eyes. She wanted to say yes. Everything inside her was screaming at her to take that step, but she just couldn't do it, “I'm flattered, but I'm sorry Matt. I just don't date.”
Matt stood there bewildered as she slipped inside the dark theater. He wasn't used to the rejection. Sure there were women who gave him a look over and tried to steer clear of him, but all he had to do was flash his smile making them putty in his hands. Hannah, however, was different. She looked him in the eyes and told him she wouldn't go out with him. Matt chuckled to himself as he walked out of the side exit of the movie theater. He took this as his personal challenge. One way or another he was going to get Hannah to go out with him. Even if it killed him.
She grabbed her container and headed towards theater Number 7. As she walked down the hallway a door flew open and caused her to drop her popcorn and candy. She knelt down to pick it up, but a large hand beat her to it. Looking up to who had careless flung open the door she saw the eyes of the man who had been at the shop last week. Her cheeks heated up and she turned her attention back to the popcorn on the ground. She pushed it back into the bucket and dumped it into the trash can turning towards the man.
“Sorry Hannah,” he said as he handed her the candy, “I shouldn't have come out like that.”
“It's no problem -” she hesitated. She didn't know his name and she really didn't expect for him to remember hers. She never thought of herself as the memorable type. She felt average with her light brunette hair pulled into a messy bun and her sweats on. She was of just below average height being an even five feet tall.
“Matthew Sanders. Call me Matt,” he said extending his large hand.
“Wolfe. Hannah Wolfe,” she said as she shook his hand. It was warm and the heat from his hand radiated up her arm. Hannah pulled her hand back nervously and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. She hadn't felt a reaction like that in a long time. That warm familiar spark that ran through her veins and into her chest.
Matt smiled as he looked down at the young woman. Something about her seemed familiar and it wasn't just her name. His hazel eyes roamed her body as though he was committing her to memory. In fact he was – he was trying to remember where he remembered her from. Normally he never forgot a beautiful woman especially one as lovely as Hannah. He wasn't sure what he liked about her more between her curves and her eyes. They both did things to him that he definitely didn't need everyone in the movie theater seeing.
“What is it?” she asked breaking him from his trance.
“Just trying to figure out how I could forget such a beautiful face,” he smiled making her heart flutter.
Maybe she wasn't so average after all? Then again Hannah had heard corny pick up lines like that one before. Hannah rolled her eyes despite her surge. He was just like all the others to her, “A pretty face and a dashing smile can't cover lame pick-up lines.”
“It wasn't a pick up line. It was a bit lame, but I didn't mean it in that way. I meant like I've seen you somewhere before. Before the record shop,” he said as he looked at her, “Did you go to Huntington High by any chance?”
“Yeah, graduated four years ago.”
It all clicked for Matt. He had seen her at his sister's graduation, but not quite this way. Then she was a bit cut off from the people there. He remembered looking at her when she walked out of the building her eyes seemed so hollow and lifeless. She was a completely different person now. The pair talked for a moment as Matt offered to buy her more popcorn. The conversation was easy and there was no awkwardness as he walked her to her theater door.
“I was wondering if maybe sometime I could take you out to dinner sometime? You know properly apologize for knocking over the popcorn.”
Hannah saw the flash in Matt's eyes. She wanted to say yes. Everything inside her was screaming at her to take that step, but she just couldn't do it, “I'm flattered, but I'm sorry Matt. I just don't date.”
Matt stood there bewildered as she slipped inside the dark theater. He wasn't used to the rejection. Sure there were women who gave him a look over and tried to steer clear of him, but all he had to do was flash his smile making them putty in his hands. Hannah, however, was different. She looked him in the eyes and told him she wouldn't go out with him. Matt chuckled to himself as he walked out of the side exit of the movie theater. He took this as his personal challenge. One way or another he was going to get Hannah to go out with him. Even if it killed him.